Marineford was suffocating under an oppressive silence, as if the world was holding its breath. Gojo Satoru, standing on the bow of his ship, dominated the scene, his cruel smile lighting up the horizon. The chains of the three Celestial Dragons, broken and chained at his feet, jingled with each step he took, sending a shockwave through the battlefield. All eyes - pirates, Marines, Shichibukai - were fixed on him, hanging on his every move, mixing terror and fascination.
He advanced slowly, tilting his head, and his voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Honestly, I find it unfair to let Ace be the only one to climb the scaffold." His smile widened, filled with provocative mischief. "So, I made a little detour to Mariejoie... to retrieve these slaves."
A collective gasp swept through Marineford. Referring to the Celestial Dragons, these untouchable figures, as slaves? An unprecedented profanation, an affront that shook the very foundations of the world. The Fleet Admiral paled, his clenched fists trembling on the platform. Admiral Akainu roared, his magma boiling around him. Even Doflamingo, usually jovial, remained frozen for a moment before a stifled laugh escaped him. Hancock brought a hand to her mouth, her eyes shining with admiration and awe.
In the midst of the chaos, Luffy blinked, perplexed. "Slaves? This guy is really weird!" he muttered.
Suddenly, a shrill sound tore through the atmosphere: pereperepere, pereperepere, pereperepere... gatcha! A Den Den Mushi on the platform activated, and the Fleet Admiral picked up, his face tense. A heavy silence fell, then a deep, authoritative voice, tinged with ancient authority, resonated, audible to all. "Gojo D. Satoru."
A brilliant smile illuminated Gojo's face, as if he had found an old friend. "Ohhh, isn't that one of the Five Elders?" he exclaimed, his voice dripping with casual arrogance. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
The voice, that of Saint Saturn, was cold, but contained anger seeped through. "Gojo Satoru... The World Government made a mistake in letting your clan thrive. We should have eradicated it centuries ago."
Gojo burst into a light, almost childlike laughter. "Yeah, that was your mistake, not mine. Too bad, Elders. History bites those who think they're untouchable."
An irritated growl resounded. "Shut up, insolent! You are playing with forces you do not understand!"
But Gojo, true to his daring provocation, ignored the warning. He took a step, his overwhelming aura making even the most hardened shiver. "Forces? Let's talk about the secrets you bury so deep, huh?" His voice lowered, enigmatic, each word sowing doubt. "The walls of Mariejoie whisper... A sunken kingdom... weapons that could shake the skies..."
"Silence!" roared Saint Saturn, panic seeping through. But Gojo continued, undisturbed, his smile widening.
"And this island... erased from the maps, but not from memory. A light in the shadow..." He stopped, savoring the moment. "Oh, and of course... the One Piece..."
He let the sentence hang, his silence louder than a scream. Marineford held its breath. Whitebeard widened his eyes, a glimmer of understanding in his gaze.
Luffy whispered, "The One Piece? Does he know something?" his instinct awakening. Even Sukuna, in the midst of a duel, chuckled, admiring his captain's audacity.
The Fleet Admiral, livid, barked into the Den Den Mushi: "Satoru! Shut up! You do not know what you are unleashing!" But the line cut off, the Den Den Mushi falling back into a sinister silence.
***********
Sabaody Archipelago
Miles away, on the Sabaody Archipelago, the live broadcast of Marineford captivated a massive crowd in front of giant screens. Gojo's announcement and his enigmatic revelations triggered an unprecedented chaos. Journalists fidgeted, their pens scratching frantically on paper. "Gojo is talking about the One Piece!" one shouted, while another screamed into a Den Den Mushi: "Send this to HQ! The world must know!" Headlines flew: The Shadow of Infinity: Secrets of the skies exposed!
The crowd exploded in contrasting reactions. "He mentioned the One Piece! This guy is insane!" roared a pirate, raising his glass. A trembling woman held her child close.
Perched on a mangrove branch, a silver-haired man watched the screen, an enigmatic smile on his lips. Rayleigh, the Dark King, adjusted his round glasses, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "This kid... He stirs the waters like Roger," he murmured, a wave of nostalgia crossing his gaze. "The One Piece, huh? You're playing a dangerous game, Satoru." He took a sip of sake, his smile widening. "But I look forward to seeing where it leads."
**********
At Marineford, the silence lingered, every eye fixed on Gojo. With a theatrical gesture, he pulled on the chains, forcing the Celestial Dragons to move forward. The three figures, broken and pathetic, knelt under the horrified eyes of the crowd. A murmur ran through the ranks of the Marines, and the first commander of the Moby Dick murmured, "He surely wouldn't..."
Before anyone could react, Gojo snapped his fingers. A bluish light shimmered, and in an instant, the heads of the three Celestial Dragons vanished, as if erased by an invisible force. Their bodies collapsed limply, causing absolute silence. Even the waves seemed to have fallen silent.
Admiral Akainu roared, his magma erupting in a rage. "MONSTER!" he shouted, but Gojo didn't even spare him a glance. The Fleet Admiral, frozen, seemed unable to give an order. Doflamingo burst into a mad laughter, clapping his hands. "Fufufu! What a show!" he cried.
Gojo shrugged, his smile intact. "Well, the show is over. Let's go back," he announced, as if concluding a simple formality.
At that moment, his crew converged towards the ship. Sukuna chuckled as he passed by Akainu, giving him a mocking look. "We'll settle this later, lava pile."
Maki adjusted her glasses, stoic, while the old Zen'in, stumbling, laughed as if he were living the best day of his life. "Great party, Satoru!" he exclaimed. The others followed suit, abandoning their duels without a word.
As Gojo was about to leave, he turned around one last time. His voice, clear and relentless, resonated through Marineford. "Two years. In two years, I declare war on the World Government."
Marineford remained frozen, absorbing the shockwave. The bodies of the Celestial Dragons lay there, symbols of a shattered order. Gojo, already on the horizon, seemed untouchable, a shadow looming over the future.
The world now knew that the Infinite was in motion, and that the storm was inevitable.